RIP Sony VAIO PC

My PC died just after Thanksgiving, but I wasn't sure if it was a goner, but I found out today that the Motherboard is shot and most likely the processor. So now I am going to have to build a PC, as the parts and "innards" are nearly 3&1/2 years old, but the Hard drive is still okay. So I can still use that at least...

I have a G5 Mac, so I am still able to do my video work without a problem, it's just taking time to get used to it. I am working with Final Cut Pro (FCP) & DVD Studio Pro. I am not as familiar with DVD SP, so I am learning as I go, I just authored my first DVD on it yesterday - my sister's wedding DVD.

The main thing I miss though are some of the programs I had on the PC like Autostitch, which is an amazing 2D image stitcher for creating panoramic views (I've been stitching my Alaska views together, click here to see one :D). Click here to see an example. This program is amazing and it portable too (meaning you can run it of a thumb-drive or iPod or whatever [at least I have]). It is also a good program if you have multiple exposures in the group of pictures, it will make the picture look "equal" instead of having multiple color changes. (you generally should have the same exposure on the pictures when you are taking a panorama that you plan on stitching together later, but some don't know how to do it or just don't do it). Unfortunately it does not work on the Mac, although there is another commercial product that uses the same technology called Autopano Pro (download demo here), but it costs money ($145) to remove the watermark from the picture. If you do download the program (Autostitch) (recommended, it's a fairly small file), it says it's a demo, but it's not...really. You can use it's full features, as long as you are not using it for commercial use. I guess this is turning into a review of programs now...

I was still testing Autopano Pro for its work flow and most importantly the way it stitches pictures together, the one thing I did like about the program (so far) is that it has batch panoramic stitching. I have Mac OS X 10.3.9 and currently unable to find 10.4.x, so I cannot test the software on the Mac at this time, but take a look at it & let me know what you think.

A List:
I also miss Jasc Paint Shop Pro (now Corel Paint Shop Pro) & it amazing ability to straighten
photos (it's one thing I can't figure out how to do in Adobe Photoshop
on the Mac).

Alcohol 120% - no Mac version

Nexuiz - a free open-source FPS that is multi-platform (I just don't have a high enough OSX)

DVD Case designing software (can't think of the name)

Adobe Pagemaker - publication designing software - yes, I know it works on the Mac, but I haven't been able to find the discs since I've moved :(

Big Oven - Awesome recipe database - no Mac version

The Text reading software for my scanner - no Mac version...I think

*sign* - this is depressing - I need to go edit a video now...on the Mac...

Dragon Naturally Speaking - voice transcription software (speech to text) - I think there is an upgrade to a Mac version (ViaVoice), but frankly I am not sure I want to pay anything more, I just upgraded the PC version :(

RCA inputs on PC (not a program)

TV Tuner on my PC & GigaPocket - TV turner & recording software.

Sonic Foundry Vegas Video Studio (Older Version...very old...it gets the job done well though) - Video Editing, now called Sony Vegas Pro...figures...

Some other photo, digital scrapbook & DVD authoring programs & utilities that came with my PC

Powered by ScribeFire.

TEAM v. Quixtar

So after my spiel earlier, I know that everyone is either with TEAM, split, or with Quixtar. That's fine, but let me ask one question. Do you think that Alticor (Quixtar's parent company) handled the situation very well with media blog on their site? I mean are they professionals in how they write to their customers? I have done business for several years, and I would never reply to a customer(s) like that. TEAM is composed of about 700,000 people. To "tell off" that many people...is well, just stupid. I can't think of a better reason not to be in business with a group of people that don't know how to respect their distributors/clients/IBOs.

So what am I to do? Goodbye Quixtar/Alticor and manufactures associated with Quixtar. I am appalled by their behavior and I can't imagine myself doing business with these type of people. It's on thing to write professionally about the issue and a completely different thing to say what they did about hundred of thousands of IBOs.

I have one last thing: Nothing will stop my dreaming! I will go where I want to go in life because I can, not because I need Quixtar's/Alticor's/Amway's help.

All in all, I think their blog shows just how scared Quixtar is, TEAM is huge, they says that we have no creditability.
So what suddenly prompted XS to put out a press release, hmm intresting. Did Quixtar believe that we would be taking XS with us? Sound like a bully is amiss somewhere...
Yes XS sales are up, but I bet a majority of the sales was through TEAM....can't imagine how the sales & statistics are going to drop now...

Powered by ScribeFire.

Programs Programs Programs...

So recently I have been doing a lot of research on different programs, here are the categories:

• Personal Finance Management
• Photo Tools
• Panorama Stitching (QTVR)
  
• Photo Organization

So I have been downloading quite a few freeware programs and a couple of trials of each. Here is what I have found so far:

For Personal Financing:

• Personal Finances Lite v1.62 - freeware - this is limited compared to their other full version program which is $30, you can download a 30-day trial from the site here. As for the freeware, you can download it here.
• Some other setups I have installed yet.

For Photo Tools:

• Photo Toolkit - freeware - it is a plug-in for windows image viewer - what I like about this is it's great for the casual image editor, like removing red-eye, or (my favorite) Batch processing. Download it here.
• My Pictures 3D - freeware - From their site "3D world featuring your photographic masterpieces!" pretty cool program. Allows you to create virtual worlds (includes themes exe. castles, museum, towers) and allows you to "hang" your pictures on the walls of the virtual world. You can have as your screensaver as well. Both the album maker and the screensaver + themes can be downloaded here.
  

In my next blog I'll talk about:
Programs for:

• Panorama Stitching (QTVR)
  
  
• Photo Organization

As well as:

iPod program tools (trying to make a set for free)
Photo Print - the best places to print photos

And even in a later blog:

What to do with your photos

Powered by ScribeFire.